Editorial: An open and shut request

Published 7:44 pm, Wednesday, July 23, 2014

It's hard not to think of the rail bridge that spans the Norwalk River as a child's toy.

Gears rotate to allow boats to pass though, and revolve in reverse so the trains can cross the river.

It's a simple principle that can work as well on a playroom floor as it does on one of the busiest rail lines in the nation.

The problem, of course, is that this is a vintage toy. Gov. Dannel P. Malloy said earlier this week that "Connecticut residents deserve a 21st century transportation system." He was, alas, responding to issues with a bridge built 118 years ago, back in the 19th century.

Unlike many bridges, the Walk Bridge in Norwalk swings open like a turntable. When the turntable breaks, as it did on two recent occasions, commuters can become stranded while it remains stuck in an open position for hours at a time.

On May 29, a rotating gear jammed into a floorboard. The board had to be cut away to free the gear, a process that took six hours to repair. The same gear fell off completely on June 10.

Metro-North commuters are not alone in the inconvenience caused by such delays, as all four lines on Amtrak's northeast corridor cross the bridge.

U.S. Rep. Jim Himes, D-Conn., insisted Monday that "the absurdity" of the situation has come to the attention of everyone from the secretary of transportation to the Oval Office. It requires everyone's attention, because the estimate is that $349 million in federal funds are needed to pay for 75 percent of the $466 million project to replace the span. While the clock ticks on the funding decision, Malloy is hoping to secure $3 million in state bonds Friday to pay for a temporary repair that would allow the bridge to operate without a squadron of experts to open it manually (as might have been done, oh, a century or so ago).

Even a child would recognize the need for immediate repairs to a broken gear. The bond commission should not blink at this request. But the bigger need is for the governor and Connecticut's federal delegation to maintain the pressure to build a bridge that can last into the next century. Many lawmakers may be aware of the problem, but they tend to have short memories once temporary solutions are put in place.